Recent lighting changes to 3 of my tanks have made it possible for me to start using timers. The old lights had starters / ballasts that weren't compatible with timers. Due to my schedule, it was pretty much impossible to maintain a standard schedule and my plants and tanks were suffering. The change since adding the timers has been dramatic. The plants are much healthier and algae is minimal. I use simple GE models that cost only $6.95 at The Home Depot. For those of you finding it difficult to maintain a consistent lighting schedule, I strongly recommend the use of timers. I have found them to be every bit as important as the lights themselves.

Geomancer

01-18-2013 08:46 AM

Welcome to the light, pun intended ;)

It does make things nice and easy doesn't it

beaslbob

01-18-2013 04:13 PM

+1

equatics

01-20-2013 08:09 AM

Hey, that's great Fish Monger!. A very small investment for the results you got. Timers make changing the photoperiod so easy too, if you need to do that, and you can set the lights to come on when you're not there. I set mine to go on at 10am and go off at 6pm for the algae, but I'm still trying to balance the tank so the photoperiod is short. So far at that photoperiod the algae is gone.

Steven :)

fish monger

01-20-2013 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo the Clownfish
(Post 1397543)

Hey, that's great Fish Monger!. A very small investment for the results you got. Timers make changing the photoperiod so easy too, if you need to do that, and you can set the lights to come on when you're not there. I set mine to go on at 10am and go off at 6pm for the algae, but I'm still trying to balance the tank so the photoperiod is short. So far at that photoperiod the algae is gone.

Steven :)

I have mine set for noon to 8:00 PM. That gives me a little time in the evening to feed and watch the fish. Before the timers, they were on from 10-12 hours and I still didn't have time to really observe the tanks. I felt like I had to rush and get the lights off. Great little devices !